but i think that the congress will act and they will confirm chuck hagel this week. so what i wanted to do is to use this opportunity to first of all thank you all, all of you that are part of the press corps here and the press in general. throughout my 50 years in public service, i have always believed very deeply in the role of the press. because i believe deeply in the role of the american people in our democracy, the information is the key to an informed electorate. while we may or may not agree with every story in the grand scheme of things, because of the work of the press i believe the truth always comes out. and in the end, we cannot really serve the american people well unless we deal with troops. so thanks to all of you for the role that you've played in helping present that to the american people. what i would like to do is through the press express my deepest thanks to the troops in the american people and the president of the united states for the distinct honor serving as the secretary of defense. i was recalling with a group today that i went through r